JM Martí Font via Macropolis | Spain is not Portugal, although we cannot completely rule it out. Brussels and Frankfurt want Spain to look like Germany. A grosse coalition will reassure the markets, guarantee the prevalence of budgetary orthodoxy and, on the surface, maintain at least the status quo, something very important to the European institutions, the financial powers and the European political class who doesn’t like changes.
The Spanish Socialist Party is under heavy pressure in the aftermath of the general elections. The extremist Podemos movement nearly ousted it as the leader of left-wing sentiment. But neither can it support the ruling Partido Popular right away, nor risk blocking the forming of a new government and provoking another round of elections. It would pay a high price if it embarked on such a course of action.
MADRID | May 25, 2015 | By Fernando G. Urbaneja | The conservative Popular Party has its worst election in two decades, losing a big chunk of power in cities and regions on Sunday. Corruption scandals and high unemployment resulting from the economic crisis severely punished traditional parties, which now need to form coalitions with emerging groups Ciudadanos and Podemos.
MADRID | March 24, 2015 | By Fernando G. Urbaneja | The Andalusia election results have offered some solace to the ruling socialist party, but the arrival of upstarts Podemos and Ciudadanos as political forces delivers a strong message to Spain’s traditional parties.
MADRID | March 23, 2015 | By Sean Duffy | Unemployment levels in the region are the highest in Spain. The winning socialist party has been involved in serious corruption cases, yet it managed to kick off a year of crucial elections in the country by holding on to the territory they have governed for 35 years.
MADRID | By Fernando G. Urbaneja | Still digesting their historic-low European election results, the Spanish socialists (PSOE) are trying to recover people’s trust by publishing their accounting in a quarterly report. This is the least that we can ask from parties, trade unions, employers and any others living on the State and the taxpayers. Without passing any law, the PSOE –who lost millions of votes in the last general polls- is taking the lead amid corruption scandals affecting numerous Spanish public figures.